


A Very Special House-Elf

by JsPrincess



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Elf magic, Family, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-08
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-04-25 09:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 6,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4955455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JsPrincess/pseuds/JsPrincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Doppy the House-Elf (Mother to Dobby) is one of the many House-Elves working at Malfoy Manor. This is a series of one shots showing some of the ways that Doppy helps her Masters. Her role is large in some, and much smaller in others, but in each little ficlet, Doppy has an important part.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Young Master Draco

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hot_Wheels](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hot_Wheels/gifts).



"Narcissa, do not coddle the boy. I won't have the Malfoy heir being a sniveling little cry baby." Lucius ordered.

Reluctantly, Narcissa laid four month old Draco in his crib, and walked away as his wails continued. "Lucius, I think he has colic."

"Crying with strengthen him. Now come," Lucius ordered again, striding off toward their marital bedroom.

"I'll be right there," Narcissa called to her husband.

As soon as he was out of sight, she called "Doppy!"

The house elf popped into the hallway, right in front of little Draco's door. "Doppy be taking care of young Mister Malfoy, ma'am. Doppy knows just what to do for the colics and Doppy will fixes him right up," the little elf promised.

Doppy popped into Draco's room and picked the squalling infant up, laid him across her forearm and began to jostle him, ever so slightly.

Narcissa could hear Draco calming, from where she was standing in the hallway. She never imagined as a child, that her own children would be comforted more by house-elves than their own mother, but so much had changed from her childhood ideals, once she was betrothed to a Malfoy.

Doppy patting and jostled Draco as she paced around his nursery, taking care to hold his head steady and not let him flop around. Doppy had many children of her own. Dippy, Dappy, Dibby, Dabby, Dobby, Donny, Dorry, Darry, Denny and Danny, and she was still a young elf, so there could be more elflings in Doppy's future. Doppy knew how to care for babies.

Young Master Draco calmed in his nanny-elf's arms and she carefully placed him back in his crib.

When Doppy popped out to tell Mistress Malfoy that young Master Malfoy had calmed down, the Mistress was no where to be found. Doppy shook her head and went back to the house-elves quarters of the manor, knowing that she'd be up in a few hours when Mistress called for her to check on the young Master once again.


	2. Doppy to the Rescue

"You are a MALFOY and MALFOYS DO NOT CRY," Lucius shouted at his son. The shouting had been going on for an hour and Doppy had grown tired of hearing it.

The shouting had started because Draco had called Narcissa "Mummy," in public, instead of calling her "Mother" as Lucius felt was proper for anyone over the age of 5. It escalated when Draco began to cry, because too much shouting had scared the timid six year old boy.

Doppy popped into the room where Lucius was going on his rant toward his son, and the pop made Lucius pause. Doppy took the pause in speech to speak her mind.

"Master Malfoy, you may be givin' me clotheses, or you may be makin' me be ironin' my ears but Doppy can't take no more of this foolishness. I was bein' your nanny elf too, and you was calling your mummy that until you was twelve. Don't think I don't be rememberin' healing the marks old Master Malfoy be leavin' on you for it, and now you be ravin' at young Master Malfoy for the same thing. He's a babe and you need to let him be a babe! He'll grow up and you won't have any babies anymore."

Lucius couldn't believe his ears. He was being chastised by an elf!

"She's right Lucius," Narcissa said softly. She had come to the door to attempt to quiet her husband, but once again, Doppy had done what Narcissa was afraid to do.

"Doppy, you don't have to iron your ears, and you will not be receiving clothes. You are a good elf. Please tend to Draco while I tend to my husband." Narcissa said softly, leading Lucius from the room before he could get over the shock of being scolded by an elf.


	3. Lucius' Nightmares

He watched, helplessly petrified, as his wife and son were tortured. He couldn't move, he couldn't scream, he couldn't beg. All he could do was watch as cruciatus after cruciatus was cast upon them.

When the torture stopped and Voldemort stood from his throne, Lucius' heart sank. His biggest fears came true when the words "Avada Kedavra!" were shouted. The room filled with a bright green light and....

Lucius bolted upright in bed; an agonizing scream pouring from his lips. Tears were streaming down his face when an elf popped into the room.

A calming draught was placing into Lucius' hand, which he gladly drank, but the tears didn't stop coming. Lucius couldn't shake the feelings of terror from his dream.

"Doppy be knowing about nightmares Master. Doppy be worrying every day and every night for her childrens," the matronly elf said wisely.

"How do you cope?" Lucius asked, sounding lost and far away.

"Doppy gets up every morning and hugs her babies. Even the grown babies, Doppy still be huggin them. Every night Doppy tells her babies that she loves them. No matter how mad Doppy is, she never forgets to tells her babies that she loves them." The elf answered.

Lucius looked at the elf, bewildered. "That helps with the nightmares?"

Doppy nodded. "It makes them not so scary because Doppy knows that her babies always be knowin that she loves them, no matter what."

Lucius got up from his bed and left the room, not even bothering to put on his dressing gown or wipe the tear tracks from his face. He went to the main door of Draco's suite of rooms and entered.

He approached the bed timidly, not knowing what to say.

When he reached the bed, he touched Draco's shoulder, shaking him gently to wake him.

"Father?" Draco asked groggily.

"I just wanted to tell you that I love you, son." Lucius said.

"I love you too father, but it's the middle of the night," Draco said, confused.

"I'll take my leave, but please don't ever forget, no matter what kind of jerk I am, I will always love you." Lucius said, before taking his leave.

Doppy had been lurking in the shadows, watching Lucius' short interaction with his son, with a smile on her face.


	4. Doppy Finds Narcissa

"Missy Malfoy?" Doppy said, popping into Narcissa's study, where the regal woman had been penning a letter to her cousin in France.

"Yes Doppy?" She answered.

"Master Malfoy be having a bad dream. Doppy be giving him a calming draught and he be talkin' to young Master Draco, but now he be wanderin' around the hallways and he still be cryin'," Doppy told her mistress.

"Thank you Doppy. Where is Lucius now?"

"Master Malfoy be in the south wing hallway, Mistress."

"Thank you Doppy, I'll see to Lucius, you can go back to your routine." Narcissa said, dismissing the elf and going to find her husband.

Narcissa found Lucius wandering around where Doppy told her he would be. "Lucius what's wrong," she asked.

When Lucius looked his wife in the eye, she saw just how haunting the dream must have been. "I dreamed that you and Draco were being tortured. I woke up just as Voldemort was killing you both," he said simply.

"Oh Lucius, darling, come to bed with me?" She asked.

Lucius nodded and Narcissa led him back to their room. Once there, she guided him into bed and kissed his temple. From reading her sister's healer books, before they had stopped speaking to each other, she thought it seemed like Lucius was going into shock.

Narcissa changed into her night clothes and crawled into bed with her husband, pulling him close to her.

In a moment of desperation for comfort, one that Lucius would never admit to, the Malfoy patriarch scooted down in the bed and laid his head against his wife's chest, listening to her heart beat. Finally having confirmation that his family was ok, the tears slowed, and then stopped, and Lucius drifted back to sleep in his wife's arms.


	5. Draco and Doppy make breakfast

"Doppy," Draco called as he woke up. 

"Yes Master Draco?" Doppy said as she popped into his room.

"I want to make breakfast for father and mu...mother," the blond haired child said, quickly correcting himself.

"I don't think your father be gettin angry with you anymore for calling her mummy," Doppy said. "Let's be goin to the kitchen and makin their favorites."

Draco put on his little green bathrobe and followed Doppy down to the Manor kitchens. "Wow this is big!" he exclaimed.

After Doppy showed the young boy around the kitchens they got to work making bacon, sausages, eggs, tomatoes, baked beans and mushrooms. "I think we have all Master and Mistress's favorites here Draco," Doppy said with a smile, always having had a soft spot for the small boy. 

"Yay! Let's take it to mummy and daddy," Draco said with a wide grin. 

"Hold tight to my arm and I"ll pop us up there, so we don't have to carry this heavy tray all the way," the matronly elf suggested. 

Doppy grabbed the tray and Draco grabbed her arm. They popped directly into Lucius and Narcissa's suite. 

Narcissa awoke at the sound of Doppy's entrance and smiled when she saw her son with the elf. She shook her husband, who was still curled close to her, and pointed to their son standing at the foot of their bed with a proud smile on his face. 

"Come up here Draco," Lucius said as he sat up, his voice still gruff from sleep. 

"I'm sorry I upset you father," Draco began.

"Draco, you weren't wrong, I was," Lucius interrupted after a hard poke from his wife. "You have ever right to call your mother 'mummy' if you wish. You're just a child." 

Narcissa prodded her husband in the side again and he continued. "Draco, I'm sorry for yelling at you and scaring you, just because you called her mummy. I wouldn't even mind if you called me daddy while we're here at the Manor," he admitted. 

"Daddy's not ever going to yell at you for calling me 'Mummy' again sweetheart," Narcissa said, shooting Lucius a look that made the blond man know that she meant business and he wondered when she'd grown such a backbone. 

"But mummy and daddy would both be very proud of you if you'd try to remember to call us Mother and Father in front of daddy's friends, and when we're out in public," Narcissa continued, much to Lucius' relief. 

"How about we try this delicious breakfast that our son brought us?" Lucius suggested, eager to get the topic off of his epic screw up from yesterday. 

"Yay! Doppy let me help fix it! We made all your favorites daddy! You too mummy!" Draco said, bouncing on the bed.


	6. The Dinner Party

"Remember Draco, mummy and daddy are having a dinner party tonight with some of daddy's work friends. You have to be on your best behavior and show them what a good little boy you are," Narcissa reminded her son as she straightened his dress robes.

"Yes mummy. I'll be a big boy, I promise," Draco said earnestly.

"That's mummy's big boy. Let's go get ready to greet our guests."

Narcissa and Draco went downstairs and entered the parlor just as a bell rang, indicating that someone was about to come through the floo. Lucius entered the room behind them, just as Gregory Goyle along with his wife and son, Gregory Junior, came through the floo.

"Master Gregory Goyle and family," Doppy announced.

"Mother, Father, may I take Greg to my room and show him the new toys you bought me?" Draco asked formally.

Narcissa and Lucius smiled down at their son. "Of course Draco."

"Doppy, once all the guests have arrived, see to the boys and make sure they have all they need," Lucius ordered.

The two boys scampered off toward Draco's room and Narcissa and Lucius began the formalities that followed with every dinner party with Lucius' pureblood friends.

After the party was over and everyone had taken their leave, Lucius went to Draco's room.

"How was I daddy?" Draco asked, bounding over to his father.

Lucius picked the boy up and tossed him in the air. "You did beautifully son! Daddy is so proud of you! You'll make a wonderful host when daddy is old and feeble."

"Thank you daddy!" Draco said happily.


	7. Lucius Explains

Several weeks later, Draco had ventured down to the kitchens again, and was helping Doppy make his favorite breakfast, pancakes and sausages. 

"Doppy, what did you mean when you said you healed marks that Grandfather Malfoy left on daddy?" the innocent little boy asked.

"That not bein' a story for Doppy to be tellin' young Master Draco," Doppy answered after a moment of hesitation. "That be Master Malfoy's story to be tellin'."

Draco knew, by the tone in Doppy's voice, that his nanny-elf wouldn't share anything else with him, so he resolved to ask his father the next time they were together.

The smallest Malfoy got his chance when his father walked into the dining room as he was consuming the pancakes he'd made for breakfast. "Daddy, what did Doppy mean when she told you she healed marks that Grandfather Malfoy left on you?"

Lucius froze in his tracks. After taking a deep breath and counting to ten, Lucius turned to his son. "Your Grandfather Malfoy was not a nice man. I fear I was well on my way to being almost as cruel as he was, had your mother and Doppy not stepped in." Lucius paused and turned to the elf, "Thank you Doppy, for helping my wife stop me in my tracks. I never wish to be as terrible a person as my father."

The eldest Malfoy turned back to his son. "If you recall, Doppy said that I called my mother 'mummy' until I was twelve. When I was twelve, I'd gotten hurt during a pick-up quidditch match at school. I was in a terrible amount of pain, but didn't go to the hospital wing. Apparently some of my dorm mates heard me groan in my sleep and claimed I'd been crying 'mummy' as well. When word got back to my father, he was not happy. He brought me home for a weekend and beat me rather severely. I believe if Doppy hadn't healed me, I wouldn't have been able to go back to school on Monday." 

Draco slid out of his chair and went to hug his father. "I'm sorry Grandfather was so mean to you daddy," he said innocently. 

"I might have been just as mean, if it hadn't been for your mother and Doppy. I'm still so sorry that I shouted at you for such an unimportant thing," Lucius apologized again. 

Draco squeezed his father again and then went to finish his pancakes. "Daddy,I'm glad mummy and Doppy made you better."

"So am I Draco. I have much to thank Doppy for. If I recall correctly, she had to iron her ears everyday for a month because she healed my wounds before father ordered her to."

"And Doppy be doin it again if she be needin to. Doppy takes care of her charges," Doppy said proudy.


	8. Malfoy Christmas

"Father, I want to give Doppy a Christmas present," Draco said, tugging on Lucius' robes as they shopping for a present from Draco to Narcissa.

"Draco, I think that's a wonderful idea," Lucius said, ruffling his son's hair while no one was around.

"I want to get her a new blanket that says 'best house-elf ever,'" Draco said excitedly.

Lucius squatted down next to his son. "I think that's an excellent idea, but how about we buy a nice blanket, and mummy can help you write whatever you want on it? I don't think many stores are going to have special house elf blankets," he explained quietly to his son.

"Ok father," Draco quickly agreed, catching on to what his father was saying. "Her favorite color is purple."

Lucius laughed, "How do you know that?"

"I asked," Draco answered simply.

Draco and Lucius found a beautiful purple comforter that they agreed anyone would love, and took it home for Narcissa to help them with.

While Draco and Narcissa did an embroidery spell on the comforter, Lucius went to his office to make some floo-calls.

Christmas morning came, and Lucius had a very smug grin on his face as he directed his family to the formal dining room.

When they entered, there were approximately twenty house elves sitting at the grand table, looking highly confused.

"Lucius what is this?" Narcissa asked, looking as confused as the house elves.

"These are Doppy's children, or at least the ones who have left the manor for other employment. I borrowed them so that she could spend the day with her children, since she helped me see that I was pushing my own family away, I thought it only fit that she get to spend the holiday with hers," Lucius explained.

"Oh Lucius, how kind of you," Narcissa said, dabbing her eyes.

"Doppy," Lucius called.

The little elf popped into the room facing her master, and didn't notice the table full of elves until she saw Draco's smiling face, and looked over her shoulder to see what he was grinning at.

"Master, what be going on," Doppy asked, looking up at Lucius with tears in her big eyes.

"I wanted to thank you for helping me realize how terrible I'd been toward my family, so I brought your family here to spend Christmas with you." Lucius explained.

"Thank you master. Doppy not be knowin what to say."

"I got you this!" Draco shouted as he ran toward the house elf, carrying a package that was almost as big as he was.

Doppy took the package from Draco and opened the carefully. When she pulled out the fluffy blanket and read "Best Nanny-elf in the WORLD, she hugged the little boy tightly. "Thank you Master Draco," she said sincerely.

"Now, Draco, Narcissa, let's go to the sitting room and let Doppy have some time with her family while we open presents, shall we?" Lucius directed his family into the other room and left a stunned Doppy to visit with her children.


	9. Sisters Reunite

The first day of spring found Lucius Malfoy sitting in his study, thinking. "Doppy," he called.

"Yes Master Malfoy," Doppy said as she popped into the room.

"I know that your job here started out as Draco's nanny, but you've been doing a lot of work in the kitchens and in other areas of the house as he's gotten older and hasn't needed you as much."

"Yes sir," Doppy said, nervously, afraid she was about to get clothes.

"You work harder and have been more loyal then I could have asked for, and you are the only elf I could trust with what I'm going to ask you," Lucius continued.

Doppy breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Yes Master, Doppy always be loyal and doing whatever Master needs of her."

Lucius smiled. "My wife misses her sister, Andromeda, dearly. They had a bit of a falling out after Andy married a muggleborn, and Bellatrix went insane, but I know Narcissa would love to see her again. Andy isn't going to let me anywhere near her house, so I was hoping you could pop over and talk to her for me?"

Doppy nodded happily. She had seen her Mistress looking at pictures of her sisters and crying. Doppy would do anything to make her mistress happy.

The little elf listened carefully as Lucius explained exactly what he wanted her to tell Andromeda. He also explained that she was to apparate to the front door and asked to be let in, not to just barge in the house.

Doppy did exactly as she was told. She apparated to the front door of Andromeda's home, knocked and waited until she was granted entry.

Once inside, Doppy spoke kindly to Andromeda and her husband, and invited them to dinner, on Lucius, at a nice, but child friendly, restaurant in London.

Surprised, the Tonks family accepted Lucius' request and sent Doppy on her way with their thanks.

Lucius was elated with the Tonks family's response and called in a few favors to get the exact table he wanted at the restaurant, and made arrangements to make the night as nice as possible for the soon to be reunited. sisters.

The night of the reunion came quickly, and Lucius was as giddy as a school boy, waiting to surprise his wife. He had left instructions at the restaurant, for the staff to seat the Tonks as soon as they arrived, so that Narcissa wouldn't see them until they got to the table.

Lucius feigned a problem with his robes, making them five minutes later, to ensure Andromeda was already at the restaurant, and then they apparated directly into the foyer of the restaurant.

"Ah, you must be the Malfoys," the host said as they arrived. "Right this way please."

Narcissa was puzzled as they were lead past the tables for three and four, toward the larger tables for parties of six or more. "I think we're going in the wrong directions," she began to say, before being interrupted by her husband.

"They know where our table is tonight, my love," Lucius said, patting his wife's arm.

The host stopped beside a table that had three people sitting at one end and three empty seats at the other. "Lucius?" Narcissa asked.

Hearing her sister's voice, Andromeda stood and turned to face the Malfoys. "A little house-elf told me you'd be here tonight," she said with a smile.

"Oh Andy," Narcissa said, tears forming in her eyes.

"Cissy, I've missed you," Adromeda said, moving to hug her sister. "When your elf came and told me how you and she had helped Lucius repair his connection to Draco, and now he wanted to help you and I reunite, I knew I had to come. I've missed my sister."

The two families sat at the table together, for hours. Narcissa and Lucius met their niece Nymphadora, who seemed to hate her name, and insisted on being called Dora. She was at the age where if she was called anything else, she wouldn't answer. The girl also had the gift of being a metamorphmagus.

Narcissa and Andromeda picked up their relationship as if they'd never been apart, and Lucius attempted to befriend Ted Tonks, as Draco and "Dora" chatted like old friends.

At the end of the night, when the restaurant staff was left waiting for them to leave so they could finish closing up, Narcissa and Andromeda hugged again, promising to keep in touch this time.


	10. Nicking Mummy's Wand

The first spell didn't work, so Draco continued to shout it, and was eventually heard by his father. 

"Draco what are you doing with a wand?" Lucius asked as he entered the room. 

He made the mistake of walking in front of his son, who was concentrating deeply on his attempted spell casting, and was rewarded with a spell shot straight at his chest that lifted him off the ground so violently, he was left hanging upside down, six feet in the air.

"Oh no!" Draco said, his face losing all color.

"It's alright Draco," Lucius said, his voice strained. "Would you please call Doppy?"

"Yes father! Doppy!" Draco called out.

The little elf popped into the room and when she saw Lucius hanging in mid-air, she snapped her fingers and released the spell, then quickly snapped them again to cast a cushioning charm to lower the man to the ground.

When Lucius was on his feet, on solid ground, again, he straightened his robes and tossed his long blond hair over his shoulder before speaking to his son. 

"Draco, I'm not mad at your for levitating me, because I know it was an accident, however, I think you nicked mummy's wand without permission, didn't you?" 

"Yes daddy," Draco said, hanging his head.

"If you want to practice magic, mummy and I would be happy to help you, but it's very dangerous for a small wizard to practice magic alone, that's why you'll go to Hogwarts in a few years and practice lots of magic there." Lucius explained.

"Yes Daddy," Draco said, his head still hanging.

Lucius put two fingers under his son's chin and raised his head up. "I'm not cross with you Draco, I just don't want you getting hurt. I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you." 

Draco was pulled into a tight hug by his father, and then the two went out into the garden so that Lucius could teach Draco how to properly levitate objects.


	11. Lucius Pounces

Lucius crouched, waiting, outside Draco's door. He could hear the young boy stirring inside the room. Likely dressing for the day, before heading to breakfast. 

The eldest Malfoy was prepared. He'd cast a cushioning charm on the floor around the outside of Draco's door, and was ready to pounce. 

What Lucius didn't know was, Doppy had noticed him casting charms and waiting outside Draco's door, and had fetched Narcissa from their bedroom. The witch and the elf were lurking in the shadows on the other end of the hall, curious as to what was about to transpire. 

Draco opened his bedroom door and stepped out. That was when Lucius jumped out and grabbed Draco around the middle, pulling him to the floor in a bear hug. 

Stunned, Draco's eyes were as big a cauldrons as he fell to the floor, caught by the cushioning charms and his father's arms. He then burst into sweet giggles as Lucius began tickling his ribs. "Daddy! Father! I can't breathe!" he squealed.

Lucius stopped tickling Draco and moved them into a sitting position, wrapped his arms around his son and laughing at the sight of his son's mussed hair. "Good morning Draco."

"Good morning Daddy," Draco replied with a big smile on his face. "I'm hungry now," 

Lucius laughed, "How about we go down to breakfast then?"

Narcissa came out of the shadows, laughing. "May I join you?" 

She couldn't help but laugh harder at the look on Lucius' face. "Doppy saw you casting cushioning charms and crouching down by Draco's door, so she came and got me, so we could watch the show."

Draco skipped toward the kitchen, ahead of his parents, which gave Narcissa the chance to whisper to Lucius, "We're all very impressed with your newly found love for fatherhood." She leaned toward her husband and kissed him on the cheek as they entered the dining room, Draco already seated with a stack of pancakes in front of him.


	12. Narcissa's Wand

Narcissa awoke from a much needed nap and reached for her wand to turn on the lights. When she couldn't find it on the bedside table, she felt around on the bed, under her pillow and on the floor before calling, "Doppy." 

"Yes mistress," Doppy said as she popped into the room. 

"Can you please turn on the lights and help me look for my wand," Narcissa asked.

"Yes mistress," Doppy said as she snapped on the lights. "I be knowin where your wand be." 

Confused, Narcissa asked "Where?"

"Master Draco be havin it outside in the garden,"

Before Doppy could finish her sentence Narcissa was headed for the gardens in a tear. She stepped through the doors and saw Draco levitating a leaf with her wand. 

"Draco Lucius Malfoy!!" She shouted. "You give me my wand back this instant!"

Draco hung his head as Lucius stepped out from behind a tree just as Doppy popped into the garden behind Narcissa. 

"Narcissa, calm down," Lucius said, walking toward his wife. 

"Calm down? He took my wand outside and was casting spells!" Narcissa shouted.

"And I've already spoken with him about both of those things, and that's why I was out here with him, teaching him proper levitating charms so that he didn't hurt himself or anyone else. The boy is curious my love." Lucius explained in a soothing voice.

"Master Draco hung Master Lucius upsie downsies and Doppy had to free him." Doppy added. "And Master Lucius was usin calm words with Master Draco and didn't do no shoutin. You would have been proud of Master Lucius, Mistress." 

Narcissa's face softened. "At least let me know next time, please?" she asked, defeated by her own house-elf. 

"There won't be a next time mother," Draco said softly. "I promised father that I'd never nick anyone else's wand. I'll always ask for permission and wait until you or father have time to teach me to properly use it." 

Narcissa felt the prickle of impending tears in her eyes and said, "I'm sorry I shouted at you Draco. I was so worried when I saw you out here and it looked like you were by yourself." She gave Draco a big hug and then turned to Doppy and Lucius.

"I owe the two of you an apology as well. I should have listened to Doppy before I stormed out of my room and I should have listened to you, Lucius, when I got down here and saw that Draco wasn't alone." 

"All is forgiven my love. We all make mistakes." Lucius said, "Now lets go inside and have some tea and cakes, shall we?"


	13. Another Nightmare

"No! Draco!" Lucius shouted in his sleep. 

Narcissa roughly shook her husband until he awoke in a panic, "Draco, where's Draco?" 

"He slept over with Gregory," Narcissa said, attempting to calm her husband. 

It was as if Lucius hadn't even heard her, because he leaped from the bed and ran down the hallway to Draco's room, flinging open the door and howled "Doppy!" when he found the bed empty. 

Doppy popped into the room. "Yes Master Lucius?" 

"Draco's missing! The Dark Lord has him!"

"No Master Lucius, Master Draco is at his friend Gregory Goyle's house for a sleep over. Doppy popped over and checked on young Master Draco just twenty two minutes ago," Doppy said.

"Doppy, could you please pop back over to the Goyle's house and check on Draco again? Don't disturb them, just so that my husband can know that he was just dreaming," Narcissa asked the elf.

"Doppy be right back," she said as she popped out of the room. 

A few seconds later Doppy popped back into Draco's room with a smile on her face. "Young Master Draco is sound asleep in a transfigured cot beside young Gregory Goyle's bed. They both be sleepin." 

"See Lucius, I told you he's fine," Narcissa said, wrapping her arms around her finally calm husband and rubbing his back. When she pulled back from him, she took his hand and lead him back toward their bedroom. 

"So I was thinking about something Doppy said earlier," Narcissa said with a mischievous grin. "What did she mean when she said Draco turned you 'upside-downsies'?"

Lucius shook his head as they entered the bedroom and began to tell the tale of how he'd caught Draco with Narcissa's wand. 

The tale ended with Narcissa giggling like a school girl, and Lucius scowling until the blond witch snuggled up next to her husband and kissed him on the cheek. "You're doing so wonderfully with him. You really are." 

"Doppy's help couldn't have come at a better time." Lucius said, thankful for the sassy little elf.


	14. Daddy has a birthday!

Narcissa sat in her study, writing a letter to her sister. 

"Dearest Andy,

We are having a small, family only, birthday celebration for Lucius this Saturday. No gifts are needed, we'd just like to see you, Ted and Dora again. Draco has been asking to see his cousin again and I miss you all as well. Come around five for dinner and then we'll have cake. We've hired a specialty entertainment company to shoot off a few fireworks after it gets dark. I thought the children would enjoy it, and it'll surprise Lucius as well.

Hope to see you soon!

Love,  
Cissy"

She sent the note with one of the family owls and hoped for a quick response from her sister. 

When Andromeda received the note she was thrilled. To her, that note meant that her sister really did want to reconnect. A private family party at the Malfoys. She called her husband in from the living room and handed him the letter.

"Of course we'll go, if that's what you want. Dora's been asking about Draco too. She thinks having a little cousin is amazing." Ted said after reading the letter. 

Andromeda penned a response to her sister and sent it away with the owl who had waited patiently, only nipping her once.

Saturday came and the Tonks family arrived at Malfoy Manor at exactly 4:59 and were met at the floo by Narcissa and Draco. "Lucius is waiting for us in the dining area," Narcissa explained.

Draco took Dora by the hand and led her to the table. The two youngsters began chatting and soon Draco was retelling his story about nicking his mother's wand and how Narcissa had scolded him so. 

"Oh Cissy. Did you really scold him so? You were four when you nicked mum's wand," Andromeda teased.

"Andy!" Narcissa scolded.

"Mummy? You nicked your mummy's wand too?" Draco asked, his eyes as big as cauldrons.

"Yes, Draco. Your mummy nicked our mummy's wand and blew the windows right out of the library at our house. That's probably why she was so worried when she saw you with her wand. Nicking someone's wand is very naughty and very dangerous," Andromeda said, giving both Draco and Dora hard looks. 

Draco and Dora both looked down at their laps, embarrassed. 

To lighten the mood, Narcissa said "Lucius, why don't you tell Andy and Ted about how you caught Draco?"

Lucius laughed and began to tell the tale of how Draco turned him "upsie-downsies" and went all the way through the story, making Andromeda, Ted and Dora laugh as he described Doppy releasing the charm before casting the cushion. 

The evening finished with Doppy levitating a beautiful cake out under the stars and serving it while everyone watched a lovely fireworks display.


	15. Draco has Questions

Lucius had been sitting at his desk, sleeves rolled up, faded Dark Mark all but forgotten as he worked on a difficult project for the ministry, when Draco came into his study. 

Draco walked up to Lucius and asked, completely out of the blue, "Daddy, did you really call your mum 'Mummy' until you were twelve or were those other Slytherins just being mean to get you in trouble?" 

Lucius sighed, he'd hoped to avoid that question, and was quite pleased when Draco hadn't come to him with it after their initial talk. 

"I did, Draco. My mother was very special to me, a calm within the storm, so to speak. My father wasn't a nice man, but my mother was a lovely woman." Lucius' cheeks were tinged with pink at the admittance.

"That's ok daddy. I'm gonna call you daddy for the rest of my life," Draco said sincerely, as he crawled up into his father's lap. 

"Daddy what's on your arm?" Draco asked curiously, seeing the faded tattoo. 

Lucius sighed and rubbed his forehead. He could feel a headache coming on with this conversation.

"When you're a Pureblood like we are, you're expected to do what your father tells you, without question. There was a very bad man, a dark wizard, named Tom Riddle, though he liked to call himself 'Lord Voldemort,' who my father practically worshiped. He claimed to want to eradicate the so called 'filth' from our world, muggles, muggle-born witches and wizards and half-bloods, though he was a half-blood himself. What he really wanted was to kill anyone who wasn't in agreement with whatever he said on a given day. His followers were called Death Eaters, and they helped him do his dirty bidding. When I came of age, my father insisted that I be taken to meet this man, and that I do whatever I was told. I ended up being given what Tom Riddle called 'the Dark Mark' and that's this tattoo on my arm. It was supposed to be a mark of loyalty, though I quickly fell out of favor with him, because I've never enjoyed ruthless killing or torture. You were about 18 months old when he tried to kill another young boy right around your age, and the curse rebounded and killed Tom. The tattoo faded after he died." Lucius explained to his son.

"He tried to kill a little baby?" Draco asked, his bottom lip quivering.

Lucius held his son tightly. "Tom Riddle had a very backward sense of what was dangerous to him. He tried to kill Harry Potter because of a prophecy that Harry Potter would kill him, or something of the sort. I'm never going to let anyone lay a finger on you, Draco." 

Doppy popped into the room as Lucius was snuggling with Draco and asked, "Can Doppy be gettin Masters anything?"

"Perhaps some tea for myself and a special hot chocolate for Draco?" Lucius asked. 

Doppy nodded, know from raising the small boy that a special hot chocolate always included precisely three drops of children's calming draught. Just enough to take the edge off the young boy's nerves, but not enough to put him to sleep. 

"Daddy will never let anything happen to you. Ever. I'd go to the ends of the Earth and back again, just to keep you safe," Lucius said, rocking his son as best he could in the desk chair.

Doppy came back with the tea and hot chocolate, and seeing Lucius' problem with the chair, snapped her fingers and turned the office chair into a cushy rocking chair. Lucius nodded his thanks and took the steaming cup of tea, and Draco's favorite teddy bear mug from her. 

He handed the cup of hot chocolate to his son and took a sip of his own tea. He smiled when he faintly recognized the taste of a headache potion in his tea. Doppy always knew what he needed. 

"This is yummy daddy," Draco said happily.

"It's wonderful, isn't it son?" Lucius said with a smile.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco gets ready for Hogwarts.

Draco stood beside his gleaming bkack trunk. His name was etched on the side in silver and all the hardware was silver as well. He was packing for Hogwarts.

They'd done ti Diagon Alley the day before and purchased his school books and other supplies, and Doppy had helped him pack them neatly. His mother taught him a folding charm to keep his school robes fron getting qrinkled and now Draco was trying to decide if he needed to pack anything else. 

Draco had just placed his gobstones set in histrunk when Doppy popped in with a container. She showed him the xhocolate chip biscuits inside and explained that it had an ever freah charm on it. After placing the container securely in the trunk, Doppy alao let Draco know that all he had to do was call her and she'd refill it for him.

Draco left on the Hogwarts Express the next day with a smile on his face and a couple of Doppy's best biscuits in his cloak pocket.


End file.
